Hi.

I’m Tommy. I run The Baseball Effect.

I’ve been obsessed with this sport for as long as I can remember. Not just the watching part — the pulling it apart part. Why did that trade actually work? What clicked in that rotation in the second half? What does the stat line miss that the eye test catches, and what does the eye test miss that the stat line catches? My brain has been stuck on those questions since I was old enough to ask them, and at some point it became clear they weren’t going anywhere.

I’d tell you exactly how many hours I’ve spent on OOTP Baseball, but Steam told me I probably shouldn’t release that to the public. It’s a lot. I love everything about pretending to run a team — scouting, drafting, trades, the cap, roster construction, the whole puzzle. There’s something so satisfying about engineering a championship out of spreadsheets and middle relievers nobody has heard of.

On the fantasy side, I’ve been competing in leagues for over 15 years. Same brain, different puzzle. Find the edge, work the trade, build the ring. Lose anyway sometimes. Win enough to keep showing up.

I built The Baseball Effect to put all of that thinking in one place, organized into three sections so you can find what you’re actually here for:

The Diamond — On-field analysis and GM-level roster breakdowns. Game matchups, trade evaluations, and the strategic decisions that shape a franchise. This is where I argue with myself about lineup construction and try to figure out what a team is actually trying to be.

The War Room — Fantasy strategy, draft analysis, and roster moves. Buy lows, sell highs, the players lying to you, the players you’re sleeping on. The data-driven edge you need to win your league — or at least to lose more thoughtfully.

The Press Box — Original photography from the best seat in the house. I sit front row whenever I can swing it, which is more often than is probably reasonable. You’ll see those shots throughout the site.

When I’m not writing, I’m at the ballpark with a camera, or arguing about WAR with someone who didn’t ask, or running a fictional Triple-A affiliate into the ground in a video game. The point is, I’m thinking about baseball. I’m always thinking about baseball.

Thanks for reading. If you want to talk shop, send a trade offer, or tell me my Giants takes are wrong, I’m around.

— Tommy